15 Powerful Americans Who You Didn't Know Consumed Marijuana

Boy, are you in for a surprise ...

Marijuana's longtime scummy reputation is being cast aside as more states acknowledge its wide-ranging medical benefits and some even its recreational value.

Though the plant is appreciated among many circles — college kids, pop stars and working adults, to name a few — it still faces vocal opposition from many parties.

Recently, the Marijuana Policy Project, an organization that aims at the reform of pot laws, compiled a list of influential Americans who have admitted to trying the substance. Here are some you'd likely be surprised by or who have hinted at being marijuana consumers.

15. Jennifer Aniston

America's Sweetheart toldRolling Stone magazine in an interview that she enjoys it "once in a while," though she wouldn't call herself a pothead.

14. Susan Sarandon

The highly respected actress is candid about her pot use. She has said that she's been high at "almost all" award shows, except the Oscars.

13. Al Gore

Former Vice President of the United States and current environmental activist Al Gore has told reporters that he was an "infrequent and rare" marijuana consumer.

12. Michael Bloomberg

When asked if he's smoked marijuana before, the former mayor of New York City responded, "You bet I did. And I enjoyed it."

Incidentally, when Colorado legalized recreational pot use, Bloomberg called it "stupid" and implied that it would cause children's IQ levels to drop.

11. Martha Stewart

In an interview with Andy Cohen, Martha Stewart said, "Of course I know how to roll a joint." Obviously. After all, she does bake brownies with resident emperor of pot Snoop Dogg.

10. Bill Clinton

The former POTUS originally denied ever consuming marijuana in 1992 when he was running for president, but in 2013 said that his response was misunderstood.

"I didn't say I was holier than thou, I said I tried," he told Jorge Ramos years later. "I never denied that I used marijuana,"

9. Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman is a strong advocate for marijuana legalization. His wife first introduced it to him to cure a persistent pain in his arm, he said, adding that he'll take it however it comes: "I'll eat it, drink it, smoke it, snort it!"

8. Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg loves her vape pen — so much so that she's wrote about it in The Denver Post.

"The vape pen has changed my life," she wrote. "No, I'm not exaggerating. In fact, her name is Sippy. Yes, she's a she. And yes, I named her Sippy because I take tiny, little sips — sassy sips, even — from her. And with each sip comes relief — from pressure, pain, stress, discomfort."

7. George Bush

The former president told his biographer, "I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."

6. Bill Gates

The richest man in the world allegedly enjoyed marijuana a lot, according to one biographical account. He refuses to say himself if he has ever consumed weed.

5. Justice Clarence Thomas

The White House noted that the conservative Supreme Court justice appointed by President George H. W. Bush smoked multiple times while in college and Yale Law School.

4. John Kerry

The secretary of state responded "yes" to the question: "Which of you are ready to admit to having used marijuana in the past?" at a presidential primary debate in 2003.

3. Oprah Winfrey

The media mogul said that she last consumed pot in 1982. "I hear it's gotten better," she noted.

2. 2016 presidential candidates

A number of the contenders from both parties have admitted to consuming marijuana: Republicans Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, George Pataki, Lincoln Chafee, Marco Rubio and Rick Santorum, and Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders.

1. President Barack Obama

"When I was a kid," Obama said in 2006, "I inhaled. That was the point."